rompQuaker

Aruna, a young CA student, twenty-something, (it might well be twenty-nothing) gets top marks for initiative.
A Chartered Accountancy PE 2 student, Aruna, took some advise adversely and came up with an innovative idea. Her Accountancy Professor had advised students that, in the run up to their examinations, they had better avoid cell phones as their normal use cause distraction. Fair enough. While one is desperately attempting to ‘tally’ the balance sheet, arrives the double beep. ”Roses are red, violets are blue, my friendship for you is definitely true.” The balance sheet goes out through the window.

That sparked off an idea. Aruna thought up something to make productive use of the ubiquitous mobile phone. She decided to deliver CA syllabus oriented content, everyday, through SMS. 6 subjects form the CA PE-2 (professional examination 2) examination and hence 6 messages originate from her mobile and are sent to over 170 members across Chennai.

But Aruna is quick to be modest. She says she works with the help of friends. She works with a team of 5 ‘contributors’ and 15 distributors. The Contributors formulate the content –no more that 450 characters per subject. She has about 15 ‘distributors’. These distributors receive the message from Aruna and forward it to members on their assigned distribution list.

rompQuaker , as her service is called, is about 6 months old. The service is on 7 days a week except for a scheduled suspension for the examination. This free service while, directly serving only Chennaiites is indirectly reaching all over India, claims Aruna.

Each member forwards it to as many people as he wants to and so it pans all across the close-knit CA student community. A small handheld initiative began impacting her fellow-students.

What Next ? She doesnot know. I suggest she look for a business model to generate a revenue stream. She is not interested. That’s a pity. For entrepreneurship commences where initiative concludes.

Ps. If you want to subscribe to rompQuaker's free service , message to +91 98413 88852

This blog will, at all times, celebrate initiative and entrepreneurship.

A dissertation on Comparative Analysis of patterns in Humans choosing their mate and investors’ behaviour towards stocks.

A doctoral thesis

It is an uncanny similarity. Which came first ? Relationships or Investing ? There is a weird resemblance between the pattern in which man (including woman *) invests on the stock market and the pattern in which he (including she*) chooses his mate or shall we say- to be politically correct and inclusive- his significant other.

Some investors hold on to stocks because their grandfathers had bought them and had passed it down the generations. (Fair enough. Correspondingly, some men marry within the same family that their father married from. South Indian Mama or Athai’s daughter)

Some investors buy a stock and hold on to it for life. Fair enough, some marriages last a lifetime.
Some other investors invest for the long term. At an opportune moment (when the going is good), they sell-out booking long-term capital gain, now Tax-free. (alimony, did some one say…)

Some investors buy shares for the short term (less than 12 months) ! exit the investment once they see a more promising stock( booking short-term CG, tax only @ 10 %) ! (Pick up- Drop- Escape..)

Some investors are actually speculators. They Buy today sell tomorrow. They don’t even take delivery!!! (One night stand, anybody)…
And some do intra-day trading. That is, buying and selling within the day.
They even sell first and then buy!! (Oh oh !!!...

But every young man better know, that historically it is proven, that long term investments in carefully chosen equities create maximum, enduring value. Short-term gains are just that –short term and are taxed at higher rates. Constant speculation can lead to losses. Even if they don’t, the brokerage shelled out is likely to exceed the gains.

* Intrepretation to the General Clauses Act.

Sania-Kamal Affair: 1 crore involved

Sania’s one crore affair with Kamal

G. Kamal Vardhana Rao is the Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP).Over the last 5 years SAAP has spent nearly a crore of rupees in directly supporting Sania Mirza. Today, Sania Mirza is World No. 34 vindicating SAAP’s support her. What does SAAP, a Government of Andhra Pradesh outfit get in return ? “Acknowledgement of its support by displaying SAAP’s logo on its attire”, say Kamal Vardhana Rao.

Celebrity management firm Globosport which manages Sania’s off-court career has restricted Sania’s endorsements to six, each fetching 1.5 crore rupees (per annum presumably) according to sources. Clearly, Sania no longer needs monetary support from SAAP.

Talent spotting and supporting—which is what SAAP has done to Sania amongst others—is not far from Venture Capital. Venture Capitalists spot budding entrepreneurs with visionary ideas and a burning desire to succeed. They take the risk and put their money on the idea, put their money on the entrepreneur and wait patiently sinking more money for the cause if need be. VCs do the same with many promising entrepreneurs, diversifying their risk. Eventually, one of them strikes it big and the VC makes enough money to cover for those who did not.

For every Sania Mirza that a SAAP creates there are others who did not make it so big. It is a risk that SAAP takes and it is its job to promote talent. But when Sania does strike it big should the Government department be satisfied with an acknowledgement.

Not, in my opinion. The VC does not just seek an acknowledgement. He needs a reward, a reward for risk. SAAP need not profiteer, but they can build up their coffers to support the next set of sportspersons who may do India proud. SAAP should have ideally, negotiated a percentage of her earnings; It can do it even now, if the corporate managers of Sania are magnanimous enough.

SAAP can even monetise the acknowledgement on Sania’s attire and sell it to the highest bidder, well, atleast negotiate a reasonable price for it.

G. Kamal Vardhana Rao, please wake up, it is not enough to back the right horse; One must also collect the moolah !

http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/28/stories/2005092809142100.htm

.com to .kam

From .com to .kam

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=59345

After .biz .info and the second round of domain names after the ubiquitous .net .org and .com, there is a lot of momentum for a separate domain for pornography. Popular nominee (by the Western World) for this honour is the x-rated .xxx

Now is the time for India to move in. It is time for India to assert its rightful (but missing) influence in the world of the internet. India should start campaigning for .kama or (as the Hindi guys might want it) .kam It can only be a fitting contribution by the land of Kama Sutra and a fitting tribute to Vatsyayana. For too long India has had little say in the developments of the internet. It is time to rally around .kama

It would be silly, though admittedly correct, to argue that the allocation of domain would amount legalising and moralising porn. It would be sillier, again admittedly moral, to disassociate India with the development. However, inspite of reports (and protests) to the contrary, the creation of a separate domain for porn seems is only a matter of time.

Indians can take up the challenge. Use email forwarders, blogs and campaign for .kam

P.S: While we are at it we can also take up the case of .kaam for the Naukri websites
Caution: The westerners are likely to counter .kam with .cum

;)

Kaanum Kaanum Nokia

Kaanum Kaanum Nokia (Missing Missing Nokia)

The New York Times
Chennai Diary
For Our correspondent presently in
Sue Robinson

The International Ecological Footprint Organisation has stated that the ban on mobile phone on campuses would lead to the destruction of 1000 acres of forestland as the ban would force students to use paper to pass comments. It has urged Anna University to reconsider the decision by roping in film stars (not Khu Bush, we are told) for the cause. In a separate news conference,a Finland based research agency has stated that it has made path-breaking discovery that use of mobile phones sharpens the brain and enhances mental capabilities. They further state that the pressure points that are activated while using the thumbs for text messaging activate multi-tasking skills. Empirical evidence supports the claim. Jose, a student of Anna University, says, “I can text message, listen MP3, play Snake and pretend to listen to the lecture, all at the same time.”

Goddess and Communal Riots

The New York Times
Chennai Diary

From Our correspondent presently in Chennai

Sue Robinson

Actress Khu Bush ( no known relation to the President), a mother of two school-going kids sided with the students, later amidst tears, withdrew her remark. In a related incident in Madurai a place of worship(temple of Goddess Khushbhu , we are told) ) has been attacked. No reports of communal violence yet.

Communal Confusion

News just in that the no communal violence has taken place in Madurai. The majority and minority communities are confused as to who should be offended by the desecrations of the place of worship. Apparently while the place of worship was a temple, the deity was a Muslim by birth. However, certain Hindus have ruled that since the actress in question married a Hindu, she is a Hindu and therefore the Temple is entirely Hindu. However, the Prince of Terracotta, an expert on the Shariat and a member of the All Tamil Nadu Muslim Personal Law Board has stated that as per the Shariat the actress is still Muslim and has further stated that all Muslim places of worship are Wakf property.

The Supreme Court, in New Delhi, has confirmed that a title suit petition for the ‘place of worship’ has been admitted has been admitted. Since the debate as to which community owns the structure is yet to be settled and the religion of the deity is yet to be settled both communities have agreed to wait for the SC verdict before commencing the riots.

Amma, Attire and other stories

The New York Times

Chennai Diary
For Our correspondent presently in Chennai
Sue Robinson

The hand of the moral police has now struck – the schools. Yesterday, the students of PL school, a Prestigious Public school in Chennai indulged in signature campaigns and hartal outside the schools demanding ‘freedom’ from school uniforms. Vinod, a Class XII student said, “We demand the end of the uniform rule. It is repressive, regressive and unfashionable”, he said. J added, “Young people like us must be allowed to make our own choice.”
R, a class XI student, “Insisting everyone wear similar clothes is insulting our individuality and creativity”. “It is also unequal. Middle school students get to wear short pants”

The All India Women’s Democratic Association supported the students alleging the school administration was Talibanic and claiming that the uniform rule was targeted at girls and it perpetuated the age old discrimination against women in India.

The Palit Danthers of India) have filed a Public Interest Litigation against the Department of Education. The Federation of Students in India (no relation to parties cited by the Mitrokin archives) have stated that they do not support the uniforms in school but would like the students to wear red. The KMD, the principal Opposition party, have said that the FSI suggestion would be acceptable only if the colour code was red and black, and have moved a resolution to this effect.
The AIAKMD government is planning to bring out an ordinance specifying red and black as official cloth colours but only when worn with a white belt. The textile industry has booked the Nehru stadium as the venue to felicitate the ‘Revolutionary Leader’ Chief Minister at having taken the historic decision.

The World School Students’ Conference has also expressed solidarity with the students. The representatives of Pakistan however condemned the resolution.One student in Bihar and another form Mizoram committed suicide to express his solidarity with the student community.